Sex, Race and Violence

Sex, Race and Violence

Abstract

The world has never been a good place. However, it is impossible to keep silent when the wheels of injustices keep running over the African American community in the name of human trafficking. The worst thing is that the form of human trafficking here involves commercial sex for these ladies. Now is the time to stand up against this modern-day slavery. Even this paper is an attempt to fight this injustice in a small way. It contains the discussions on the prevalence of the vice within the African American community who hold the first position when it comes to being the victims and also the perpetrators. There is also the discussion of consequences followed by some of the strategies that the American government has employed to curb the vice. In the end, there remain some unanswered questions about this vice.

Introduction

            When people think about slavery, they can only interpret it from the perspective of the ancient day injustices that happened before most countries gained independence. However, there is still slavery that takes place up to date. One of these modern-day types of slavery is sex trafficking, which is quite rampant, especially for underage girls. Sex trafficking is one of the vices that threaten the achievement of the maximum potential of girls not only in America but in the world beyond. The term sex slavery means that an individual participates in commercial sex. They usually engage in these activities either through force, fraud, or coercion. The people who benefit from the commercial activity view this as a lucrative business venture and rarely care about the welfare of the affected individual. They will often lie that they have got jobs for these women and end up exploiting them in such an inhumane way. They could also use threats to put these women into their bait.  Although all women are prone to this vice, the numbers of black girls that are in danger are astounding.

The FBI reports that 40 percent of the victims of sex trafficking are African Americans. The number of those that fall prey is high in the metropolitan areas. For instance, in a city like Los Angeles, the number of African Americans who are victims represents 92 percent of all the victims. In addition to the information by the FBI, the National Center for Victims of Crime reports indicates that black girls aged 12 to 19 years are more likely to be victims than their white counterparts. The pervasiveness of this vice is that African American men are the ones who mostly engage in the trafficking business. Technically, they are selling their sisters to the lion’s den.

Worse still, statistics indicate that the market for these girls is a mostly affluent white market. This is a clear depiction of the moral decadence and levels of perversion that exist in modern-day society. They are also quite shocking revelations, and it is quite a shame to admit that the U.S is both a source and a destination country for the victims of sex trafficking. A reference in this context means the country from which the perpetrators of this crime get their targets. Transit is a country through which the ladies pass through before getting to the destination. It is important to note that the U.S automatically becomes a transit country as it may sometimes act as the intermediary between the girls and their place of work.  A destination, on the other hand, is the country where the trafficked girls will become of use (Boliou, 2018). America serves both of these purposes. Since trafficking is not usually limited to specific countries, most countries play the above roles at one point in time.

What happens is that sex traffickers will recruit girls, preferably from a low-end background from their source. This must be an area where they have previously derived other girls or can see the potential of getting plenty of girls who would easily fall prey. In America, these are mostly African American girls. They may use threats, lies, or intimidation as long as the victim accepts their proposal in the end. Sometimes, they will take these girls forcefully through crude methods such as drugging them. They then move the girls to a transit country. Most of the time, the country was chosen for transit is closer to the destination country, but most importantly, less stringent border controls or the officers are outrightly corrupt. The last link then happens where the girls get to their destination. Traffickers will usually target the countries which seem to be doing well economically (Boliou, 2018). These countries tend to have the capability to support vast commercial sex industries than others.

It is no doubt that globalization and technology have had their fair share of contributions to the world of sex trafficking. Globalization facilitates free trade, free flow of capital, the availability of cheaper foreign markets, and the overall integration of global economies (Gilbertson, 2015). People must understand that human trafficking is part of the process of globalization. It has opened up more doors for sex trafficking. The reason for this is that now borders are more open. Therefore, even traffickers disguised as businessmen can quickly get into and out of countries looking for prey or bringing in prey. This means that the lives of the girls all over the world are in more danger than they were a few decades ago. Globalization, through its open-door policies in some nations, has also triggered people to move into other countries in search of work. These are mainly those whose lands have high unemployment rates. So, what happens when they get to America and realize that life is not as easy as it seems? In their attempt to make a living and avoid going back home, they tend to fall prey to the malicious traffickers and find themselves as sex slaves. It is also now more accessible to transport victims due to open-door policies.

The addition of technology into the globalization factor makes it even worse. It is now easier for sex traffickers to communicate with each other and understand the lucrativeness of business in particular countries (Gilbertson, 2015). They also communicate regularly to ensure that they have a steady demand and supply of girls. Just like a regular business, they are now in a position to advertise their businesses online. They do this secretly as some governments are very keen on what is shared on the internet platforms. However, the fact remains that they are still in a position to advertise and get clientele and victims of trafficking.

On the brighter side, these two elements have also helped in the communication of anti-trafficking organizations all over the world (Peerapeng et al., 2015). These agencies can now communicate more efficiently, helping to rescue some of the victims who have been captured for a long time. Technology, in particular, provides platforms for these people to report any unusual behaviors that may lead to trafficking in the future, helping governments to avert problems before their occurrence.

Dynamics of Sex Trafficking

There are various dynamics in the world of sex trafficking. From the above statistics, it is evident that African Americans are easier targets than whites. What could be the reason for this? Does this mean that race and social standing affect the vulnerability of a woman when it comes to falling prey to trafficking? This section analyzes these dynamics by profiling the victims, the perpetrators, and the beneficiaries of the trade. The victims, as earlier mentioned, mostly fall in the bracket of 12-19 years of age even if older women may sometimes be the target.

On the side of the victims, various stereotypes cause people to believe that African Americans bring this problem to themselves. There are several stereotypes regarding their sexuality, such as black jezebels, promiscuous, and exotic women (Rosenthal & Lobel, 2016). These stereotypes date back in history. The roots of the African Americans were in Africa. There they lived in nudity as that was part of their culture. The women would be semi-nude, but the children were stark naked. The whites then interpreted this as a sign of immorality and promiscuity.

Additionally, they believed in polygamy, which was again misinterpreted as the Africans having uncontrollable lust. The belief was that sex was always readily available as the women were already semi-naked. This stereotype has progressed to date such that when people see a black woman, they may be tempted to view them as sexual objects, which is wrong. They do not seem as if black women would be victims of rape as they are always ready for sex. Thus, even if they are taken in as sex trafficking objects, they will satisfy the clients better, leading to return business. These are myths targeted at demeaning the African American woman as a victim of sex trafficking.

In social class, people from a low-end background likely end up as a victim than those people from high-end backgrounds. This puts blacks at a disadvantage as most of them are of a lower social class than the whites. There is also the perception that people from low-end backgrounds would do anything to get themselves out. Due to their low social status, they are also likely to get into crude engagements that will require them to pay up debts (Chong, 2014). These debts could be in the form of commercial sex. Therefore, they end up participating in trafficking involuntarily. Consequently, they become easy targets for sexual trafficking. The traffickers will specifically go to those areas to identify any easy targets. There are also more prostitutes of the black descent than the whites. Prostitutes are an easy target for sex trafficking. Most of the time, victim recruitment occurs through treachery methods such as lies, threats, and sometimes coercion.

The next people under scrutiny in this section are the perpetrators. They use various strategies to get hold of the victims. They also have reasons as to why they engage in this behavior. Before delving into these, it is imperative to understand why they target the black community. One of the reasons is due to their vulnerability as a result of social class and status. Most of these girls want to get out of their unfortunate situations as soon as possible and, therefore, will jump at the slightest opportunity to do so (Bryant-Davis & Tummala- Narra, 2016).

The other vulnerability comes in their backgrounds with drugs either as users or their family members. They might get into quite some debt and end up in sex trafficking to pay up their debt. In short, poverty levels is the main point that makes these black girls easy targets. Additionally, people with backgrounds where they have experienced psychological torture and abuse are more prone to becoming victims of sex trafficking. They can easily fall prey to manipulative behaviors of the perpetrators and become sex objects. There is also a reason for perseverance. The perpetrators indicate that black women are more ‘hardy’ and can endure harsh conditions in the business, unlike white women. They are also more accustomed to some of the satisfaction strategies that the clientele would like as they are introduced to sex early most of the time through rape that is rampant within the community.

The main reason for perpetrators to involve themselves in the sex trafficking business is due to the enormous rewards that they are bound to harvest at the end (Chibba, 2014). Most of the time, commercial sex workers live with no rights. Therefore, they are required to satisfy the client and leave them to pay the agency. Sometimes they are never even allowed to collect tips. The implication of this is that the owner runs a business that incurs only the initial cost of ‘raw materials.’ The only other prices are those of buying seductive clothes and maybe bribing the authorities, which are not high. The rest of the profit belongs to them, which means that they can quickly become wealthy.

Thus, most perpetrators get into the business due to its lucrativeness. A minor reason for getting into the company for some perpetrators is blackmail. As is the case with the women, blacks are likely to get into some debts, especially is they are from the low-end communities. They may then be commanded to look for victims of trafficking as a means of repaying the debt. Most of the time, they do not have alternatives and end up engaging in the vice. Lastly, some are sociopaths and psychopaths. They believe that causing torture to women in this manner is what they can do best. Thus, they decide to get into the business of trafficking for pleasure.

The end person in the sex trafficking chain is the benefactor. In this case, the benefactor is the client who benefits from the services of the trafficked woman. After all, they have a right to use them in whichever way they feel like as long as they pay their dues to the providing agency. Different types of benefactors-those are having a one-night stand and the affluent ones who have perverted minds and behaviors. As earlier mentioned, most of the benefactors are from affluent white backgrounds. Most of the time, they will not know that their partners are victims of sex trafficking. They mostly see them as doing these acts voluntarily, especially when it is a black girl due to the existing stereotype.

Consequences of Sex Trafficking

It is no doubt that sex trafficking has quite some adverse effects on the victims as well as the countries. The main loser is usually the victim, as they will have to spend a whole life full of regrets and traumatized by the events following their entry into sex trafficking. One of the consequences for the victim is that they will lag economically. After they are taken from their homes to become sex dealers, they receive little and sometimes no payment. This means that the chances of advancing economically are almost nil. Some are usually lucky and return home. However, they often find themselves at a disadvantage as they have no work experience. The current market place demands that people show their work experience or expertise before getting a job. The victims have been away from the real world for so long, and some never even completed school and end up with nothing to show. The factor automatically puts them at an economic disadvantage as they are almost tempted to use crude methods to create a source of income.

The other consequence has to do with the health of the victim. It is important for a young person to remain healthy so that they can utilize their youthful years. There are some exceptional cases where these people may be born with conditions that prohibit them from normal life. However, for the trafficked people, they were once healthy. The conditions that the victims of sex trafficking live in are deplorable. Worse still, there is the problem of having sex with multiple partners. Consequently, they are likely to acquire some sexually transmitted diseases (McTavish, 2017). Some of these may become a nuisance for the rest of their lives, making their living conditions worse by the day. There is also the possibility that they could have some of their sexual organs destroyed during the escapades, even implying that they will not have a good life if they ever succeed in getting back home. Some clients may also be so ruthless such that they cause harm to other parts of the bodies. Victims of sex trafficking may often be subjects to beatings resulting in these harmful consequences.

Away from the physical health consequences, there are also psychological effects. First, the victim left their healthy life and got into an experience which they were never accustomed to from the beginning (McTavish, 2017). Secondly, they have to withstand abuses, torment, and the movement from one country to another as their bosses wish. As a result, they are likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and PTSD. There is also the consequence of having low self-esteem for the victims. They recognize that they are not similar to others. They may also feel unworthy in comparison to the dirty deeds that they have gone through, albeit involuntarily. Sometimes, if these people do not get the necessary professional help, they end up becoming a threat to their own life by committing suicide.

The third consequence of human trafficking is that the country may lose out on productive people inhibiting its economic growth. The people who often are victims of trafficking are young, and they have a bright future and the capability of steering the country to the next level. Trafficking renders them incapable as they may be taken to faraway lands where they may never come back. Where there is d=sex trafficking, there is also likely to be high levels of drug abuse and trafficking. This is also an adverse effect on a country.

There has not been a lot of responses to this menace that is slowly eating up the black society and the entire American nation. One of the reactions is the formation of anti-trafficking bodies and agencies. These preach against the vice and create awareness of its existence. It is an excellent initiative given that most girls fall prey without their knowledge. These bodies train people in every state and even hold conferences. They have also influenced the formation of a human trafficking awareness month, which is in January of every year. There is the likelihood of significant milestones with just this one step.

The other response is the emphasis of law enforcement officers to participate in these hunts and prevent the problem from further escalation. The government has continuously put pressure on these officers to put the safety of the citizen first and therefore conduct more thorough checks, be it within the country or at borders. There are also hefty fines for those in law enforcement believed to be in collaboration with these criminals for personal gain. These fines are based on Acts such as the ‘Stop enabling sex trafficking act,” which allows people and state governments to fight online sex trafficking. America also supports other countries which have arrested sex traffickers for letting the world know that they are against this despicable vice.

There have also been some quite negative responses to this problem. Some people claim that blacks bring this among themselves. Once again, the issue of race and stereotypes comes in. Some suggest that they have suggestive behaviors and thus leave the traffickers with no option. As a result of such a claim, there are fewer blacks who are willing to report the predicament to authorities. It not only makes their work hard but also accelerates the societal problem.

Conclusion

            After the above in-depth analysis, there are still some questions that remain unanswered. One of these is where some people still insist on defending the perpetrators of sex trafficking activities. By stating that black people bring this upon themselves, they are indirectly supporting sex trafficking. There is nobody who deserves such treatment irrespective of their social standing or race. There is also the area of government acts to curb this vice. From a personal perspective, this is more of a PR gimmick than an action to help the ordinary citizen. The bill does not get to the people who are victims. It mostly favors online prevention mechanisms, which many victims are too ashamed to speak out about.

The solution to such a problem should begin from the roots and not from the formation of Acts of Congress. For instance, start by having an equitable wage distribution system or access to education. This will, in turn, improve the social standing of the potential victims, albeit slowly. They will then be in a position to make wiser decisions when putting in such scenarios. Even though trafficking is part of globalization, a country like America should not allow its citizens to suffer at its expense.

References

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Gilbertson, M. (2015). Globalization and the Sex Trafficking Industry: Examination of Effects on Regional Value Chain Operations. Honors Theses, 1963-2015. 78

Peerapeng, S., Chaitip, P., Chaiboonsri, C., Kovacs, S., & Balogh, P. (2015). Impact of Economic Globalization On Human Trafficking in The Greater Mekong Sub-Region Countries. Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce, 124-132

Rosenthal, L., & Lobel, M. (2016). Stereotypes of Black American Women Related to Sexuality and Motherhood. Psychology of women quarterly, 40(3), 414–427

Chong, N.G. (2014). Human Trafficking and Sex Industry: Does Ethnicity and Race Matter? Journal of Intercultural Studies, 35(2)

Bryant-Davis, T., & Tummala- Narra, P. (2016). Cultural Oppression and Human Trafficking: Exploring the Role of Racism and Ethnic Bias. Women and Therapy, 40

Chibba, M. (2014). Understanding human trafficking: perspectives from social science, security matters, business, and human rights. Journal of the Academy of Social Sciences, 9(3)

McTavish, F. J. (2017). Devastating consequences of sex trafficking on women’s health. The Linacre Quarterly, 84(4), 367–379